


The Fury Dome

by Bookworm4567



Series: Broken [11]
Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Drinking, Drug Use, Gen, Gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:34:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26499457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookworm4567/pseuds/Bookworm4567
Summary: After the disaster at the reunion, Vaggie visits a place of her past and reunites with some old friends.
Series: Broken [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561432
Comments: 13
Kudos: 49





	1. A Blast From The Past

Vaggie tried to sleep. She tossed and turned for hours in her bed, but for some reason she just couldnt find a comfortable position, it was like her body just refused to relax. She rolled onto her back, huffing a long lock of hair out of her face. Maybe it was a side effect of whatever Helsa had drugged her with.

Her fists clenched at the mere thought of that witch. What she wouldnt give to have her alone in this room for twenty minutes! She would go all kinds of 2013 Vaggie on her for what she'd done!

She closed her eye and tried to calm down, but it didn't help. Images of tearing Helsas head off her body and carving her sin into it kept filling her head, excitement and guilt following in its wake.

She rubbed a hand over her face and with a noise of defeat she sat up and turned on her T.V. the clock on it said it was just past midnight-brilliant!-and she carelessly flicked through the channels, skipping all the porn and searching for something good, but there was only shitty nighttime t.v. Big Bang Bullshit, S.E.X.Y..F.R.I.E.N.D.S, How I Met Your Murderer, Oh! The Handmaids Killing Spree, that was good-oh wait, it was a re-run.

Vaggie sighed, clicking away but still finding only garbage-SuperUnnatural. Really, after 50 seasons they needed to just let that die.

Just as she was about to resort to VoxFlix, she landed on a particular channel that made her finger still on the remote. Bright red and orange light filled the screen, along with screams of rapture and agony. A bold purple and black title jumped out of a flaming opening sequence, followed by a deep, excited voice over.

_"TONIGHT ON: **THE FURY DOME!** WITNESS THE FINAL GRUDGE MATCH BETWEEN WILLARD THE BLOODY AND THE KLAWED KAT KING! ITS GONNA BE VIOLENT! ITS GONNA BE BLOODY! AND MOST IMPORTANTLY ITS GONNA BE **MOTHER FUCKING AWESOME!"**_

She should turn it off. Really, she should. After her own little *ahem* indiscretion with the idiots around her old place plus her reaction to the Valedictorian Ceremony she really shouldn't be watching stuff like this. She didn't wanna give herself any temptations.

And yet she was putting down the remote, and her hands were folding into her lap. In her defence she hadn't seen a match between Willard and The Kat King since her own days at the Fury Dome, and she'd always wondered if they settled the score. Apparently not, it seemed.

_"TWO WALK IN! ONE WALKS OUT! THIS IS IT FOLKS, THIS IS THE FINAL FRONTIER! THIS IS THE FIGHT THAT WILL SETTLE THE SCORE, AND DECIDE ONCE AND FOR ALL JUST WHO IS THE BIGGER BADASS!"_

Vaggie smiled at that. Will and King didn't give a shit about who came out on top, the whole 'Grudge Match' thing had only started because King stole Wills girlfriend. She had actually been there the day King found out and threw Will across the changing room.

That had been a fun day, she and the girls had had such a big laugh over that.

The girls. God, she hadn't thought about them in a long time, not since she broke off contact after quitting the Dome. They had understood and shown their support. In their own way.

_"Can't wait for you to come crawling back, bitch!"_

_"I hope the princess pussy's fuckin' worth bein' a PACIFIST!"_

_"Go ahead, walk away, loser! You were shit at fighting anyway!"_

She smiled fondly at the memory. Were they still working there? Did they know everything that happened? Did they care? Did Rhodie?

 _Tch, definitely not! Come on, Vaggie, its been five years, they probably didn't even remember your name!_ Pushing old memories to one side she settled back to watch the fight, and re-engaged just in time to see Willard sink his rat-like front teeth into the Kat Kings eyeball.

The fight didn't last long, ten minutes at least, and after much bloodshed, entrail-shed and skin-shed, the Kat King was declared the winner after Willard-pinned down with his chest torn open and a thick paw literally on his heart-screamed Uncle, ending the fight.

_"Okay! Okay! You win man, you win! You can fucking keep her! Holy fuck!"_

Boo's and jeers filled the stadium as King leaned back, blood and smugness dripping off of his face. Vaggie chuckled, shaking her head. She hoped Will enjoyed that fight because it was going to be his last one where he got any respect!

It was the unspoken law of the Fury Dome: you call Uncle, you're labelled a pussy forever.

Vaggie grabbed the remote and turned the t.v. up a bit, just as the voice over man screeched out of the screen once again:

"WASNT THAT INCREDIBLE, SINNERS?! WILLARD THE BLOODY NOT ONLY SUFFERED A CRUSHING DEFEAT, BUT HE UNCLE'D THE FUCK OUTTA THERE! MAN, ITS GONNA BE A JOB FOR HIS REPUTATION TO RECOVER FROM _THAT!_ WE'RE GONNA TAKE A LITTLE BREAK, BUT WHEN WE COME BACK WE HAVE KATANA, THE MISTRESS OF KNIVES, UP AGAINST EVISCERATION ESME! DONT BE A FUCKIN' IDIOT, YOU KNOW YOU WANNA TUNE IN!

"OR BETTER YET, COME DOWN AND WATCH IT FOR YOURSELF IN PERSON! MORNING, NOON, NIGHT, IT DOESNT FUCKING MATTER CUZ HERE AT THE FURY DOME, THE _CARNAGE. DONT_. _**STOP!"**_

The ad breaks rolled but Vaggie wasn't really watching. She was having an internal battle, telling herself that what she was thinking was a bad idea-not that she was even really thinking about it! It was more like a...a passing thought! She'd just decided not to give into anymore temptation and this, this was what that was! The empitome of temptation.

It was just sleep deprivation talking. What she needed was a good nights rest, then she'd feel better. Standing up she grabbed her silky silver robe and went downstairs to make herself a mug of hot chocolate, a remedy that always sent her off to sleep.

She was walking back to her room when she heard the noise. She paused by the stairs, listening, and heard the sound of a t.v (the one she'd smashed had been replaced that day. By Alastor. Shitlord) frowning, Vaggie left her mug on the stairs and walked around to the t.v room. As she got closer she could hear voices, laughter, and felt a twinge of irritation. It was one in the evening! The goddamn t.v. room was supposed to be off limits! 

She got closer, and now she could hear four distinct voices. Three were laughing and one, she realised with a start was her own. How the fuck-?

Then she heard what her own voice was saying, and she went very, very still.

" _I fucked Angel Dust. Charlie's so called star pupil! I fucked him while Charlie was fucking Alastor in our bed!"_

She stopped breathing. Inside, she could hear Crymini's yipping cackles, HotSpots strange high pitched snorts, and a long suffering sigh.

"Well, there goes my reputation as Hells biggest fag!"

Angel. Crymini gasped.

"So its true?! Holy fucking shit balls!"

"How the fuck did you even get it up in there?" HotSpot "Bitch looks like she's got a frozen snatch, did you hold her up to the radiator first?"

All three laughed and Vaggie shook. Angel started to say something else, but then Crymini shouted over them.

"Shut the fuck up, this is it, this is it!"

Then Charlie's voice from the t.v. shaking and stunned.

_"Vaggie...?"_

" _You...y_ _ou WHORE!"_

"Ooooooh! Instant takedown!"

"Flawless victory!"

"Ya know what? This is the healthiest break up I saw! Such professionalism, Vags, bravo!"

Clapping. Laughter. A snort. Vaggie had heard enough.

She ran back up to her room. She went to her closet and she pulled on a dark tank top, a matching hoodie, pants, black heavy duty boots, then she tied back her hair into a high ponytail and grabbed her phone to call a cab, barely aware of what she was doing through the anger and excitement buzzing in her veins.

*

The taxi pulled up at Vaggies destination and she paid the demon and got out. She'd heard the blasting death metal music a literal mile away and by the time she arrived it was ear-bleedingly deafening. Vaggie winced, her ears having grown unused to it in the five years she'd been gone.

There was a screech as the cab drove away and Vaggie walked forward as throngs of demons forced her to move. Before her a gargantuan stone colosseum loomed above the world at fifty feet high, great spikes as wide as Vaggie was tall jutting out from the sides in a threatening display, but as Vaggie watched two teenage demons tried to climb them, attempting to get in without paying, but twenty feet up the spikes crumbled into dust and sent them screaming down to the ground, drowned out only by the screams-of excitment, triumph, agony-coming from within.

The Fury Dome. She was back.

Vaggies heart pounded. Her fingertips tingled, and her stomach was full of butterflies. Finally the crowd broke and she was able to stand still, and she stared up at the colosseum she had once called home. Her fingers itched, instinctively curving to take in a spear or a hatchet. She closed her eye and breathed deeply. 

_Youre just coming here to watch. Youre just here to catch up with the girls. You are not going to fight. You are Not. Going. To Fight!_

Swallowing hard, she opened her eye and let the breath out. Then she followed the crowd towards the maw like opening of the Dome, before she could change her mind.


	2. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaggie meets up with some old friends and remembers the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I hope it's worth the wait!

The push of the crowd carried Vaggie into the entrance of the Dome. Here was a space roughly the size of a movie theatre lobby that was crammed full of the retail industry. Betting stalls where gamblers could place bets on a fight, concession stands that were guaranteed to rip you off for a packet of Skittles, bars and food trucks and a souviner shop where you could buy a replica of a Dome weapon, a signed shirt or even a 6 inch figurine of popular fighters. Vaggie had refused to have one made of herself. She wasnt there for the fame, she was there to kick the shit out of bastards who thought they could 'Handle a new blood moth' 

She wondered if Wills figurine had been removed yet, and it was that thought that carried her over to the souviner store. She ended up standing behind a flame-headed demon who was trying to find a model machete that wouldn't melt in her hands. The store was more crammed than she remembered, there were lots of faces and weapons that she didn't recognise. Well, that was hardly surprising, was it? Five years was a long time.

"You! Hey you! You look like a girl with an eye for a bargain, can I interest ya in a signed T-shirt?"

But not long enough for Rhodie to fire the annoying shopkeeper! She took down her hood, reavaling her face "Hey Travis"

The owl demons eyes went wide, the little heart in the left one practically bulging out of his face "Holy crap. Heartbreaker?!"

Vaggie flinched at the old name. She shoved her hands into her hoodie "Still trying to sell expensive knock offs, huh?"

Travis scowled "Screw off, do ya know how hard it is to sneak into the Kings dressing room? Its like walkin' into a fuckin' mine field! Still" he shrugged "I gotta do what I gotta do"

"Steal dirty underwear?"

"Bite me. If you ain't gonna buy anythin' then fuck off, bitch!"

Vaggies eye twitched "Are you sure you wanna be talking to me like that?"

Travis snorted "Yeah right. Last I heard you were all about that redemption bullshit now, what the fuck are you gonna do?"

"I could still beat your ass into the ground, Travis, don't you forget that. After the night I've had I could use a little fun!"

Travis threw back his head and laughed "Ha, whatever you say, bitch!" his smile turned wicked, leering as he leaned over the crammed counter "Speakin' of fun, word on the box is that you and that slut have been havin' plenty" he sniggered. Vaggies fist clenched "Hes good at what he does, ain't he?"

 _Do not kick his ass, do NOT kick his ass, you're not here to fight, remember?_ Vaggie cocked head and smirked "How would you know, Travis? Don't tell me you've started screwing hookers behind your wifes back again!"

Travis blanced "Um..."

"Because I remember what happened the last time you did that and, ha, it wasn't pretty! Do I need to tell Rhodie that you've slipped up again?"

Travis had gone very, very pale "I-I haven't! I've been good for almost four months now, ya hear me? I didnt even _look_ at that Blueberry guy, he came onta _me!"_

 _"Suuuure._ See you around, dirtbag"

"Suck my twelve inch dick, Moth!"

"Just because you add ten in your head doesn't make it real, asshole!"

"OH SHUT-UP!"

Vaggie left the store and pulled her hood back up. As much fun as that had been she was looking for much friendlier faces, so she went to the tall stone archway that was the entrance of the seating area. 

The smell hit her the second she walked through, sweat and sand and booze and blood. Dozens of imps scurried around the thousands of seats, scrubbing them clean of Hell knew what (the things sinners did in the back rows weren't worth thinking about) as several more put severed limbs into trash bags and raked the sand in the enormous fighting pit. Once the sand had been yellow, but years of battles had turned the soft ground an iron tainted brown, splashes of fresh red still visable from the previous fight clogging the rakes.

Vaggie paused where she stood, looking out at the pit. She remembered her first fight in that pit, even if she couldn't remember the name of her opponent. Some guy, three times her size and with the ego to match. He'd looked at her like she was a piece of jerky he wanted to chew up and spit back out, but he was the one who lost some significant meat that night.

_"OOOH, AND THE CHAMPION IS **DOWN!** NEWCOMER HEARTBREAKER HAS FLOORED HIM WITH ONE STROKE OF HER KNIFE! ALL THAT ARMOUR AND HE NEVER THOUGHT TO COVER HIS ACHILLES TENDON, THAT WAS A BAD MOVE TONIGHT LADIES AND GENTS! LISTEN TO THAT SCREAM!_

_"BUT-OH, WHAT'S THIS? IT SEEMS OUR SPUNKY NEW FIGHTER ISNT FINISHED WITH HIM YET! SHES CLIMBING ON HIS CHEST! SHES PULLING OUT HER SPEAR! SHES- **HOLY SHIT, SHES GOING FOR THE HEART! HOLY FUCK, ARE YOU SEEING THIS?! EIGHT MINUTES IN AND ALREADY OUR CHAMPION IS GETTING CARVED UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TURKEY!"**_

_Blood on her hands, wet and pleasantly warm. She dodged the arms that beat at her with ease, the blood loss already getting to her opponent and tore off his metal chest plate with all the effort of turning a page. He howled as she plunged her spear into his chest and she gave a full bodied shudder of pleasure, a sick smile spreading wide across her face as she carved and hacked and severed until, finally, she was holding a large, meaty heart in her hands._

_"NOW THATS WHAT I CALL STEALING A MANS HEART, EH LADIES AND GENTS? LOOKS LIKE THE LITTLE UNDERDOG HAS COME OUT HOWLING AT THE M-Wait a minute...Oh! OH HOLY SHIT, SHES STILL NOT DONE! FUCKING CHRIST ON A STICK SHES NOT ONLY STOLEN HIS HEART NOW SHE'S **ACTUALLY EAT-!"**_

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Vaggie blinked, and looked around when an imp-female with long black hair-tapped her shoulder "Oh...sorry, I-"

"You arent supposed to be in here yet, Miss. The next fight doesn't start for another twenty minutes"

"Oh. Yeah, sorry, I uh, I know that. I was actually looking for the Unholy Trinity, I'm an old friend"

"Oh?" the imp questioned "Do they know that you're coming?"

"No. Its a...surprise" that, at least, wasn't a lie. She was sure the girls would be very surprised to see her, indeed.

The imp was silent, looking her up and down suspiciously. Then her eyes rose and locked with Vaggies single one "I'll take you to them. Follow me"

"Thanks" 

The imp dropped the broom she was holding and led her through the circle of flat, stone seats until they came to a groove. The view of the fighting pit slowly rose out of Vaggies sight as they descended underground and into a short tunnel lit by a single long barlight. The tunnel took them into a modern looking hallway, thin and beige with hooks where the fighters could dump their coats (it was empty, since no-one was stupid enough to leave anything where it could so easily get robbed) at the head the hall plit into two paths. The left went to the large barracks, kitchen and bathrooms for fighters that lived in the Dome, and the right broke off into the dressing rooms and sparring hall.

Back when she lived here, that hall had practically been her second home, her and the girls would spend hours there sparring, but most of the time they just sat around and shot the shit, eating pizza and laughing amongst all the weaponry, making fun of less experienced fighters and placing bets on who would kick whose ass on the next fight night.

_That reminds me, Jadis still owes me 10 mons..._

_Click!_

Vaggie froze. Something cold was touching the back of her head. Steel. A gun.

Oh great...

"You lost or somethin', love?" a cool, smooth voice spoke as the hammer of a gun was cocked, a voice that Vaggie knew. _Donna!_

"This isn't a place for spectators, sweetheart so I suggest you get the fuck out of here before I paint these fugly walls red"

Vaggie smiled and raised her hands "Like you could even get a decent shot in before I kicked your ass, Belladonna"

*

_Vaggie walked into the fighting pit with her arms behind her back and her mask on, covering her head and the top part of her face. Today was audition day for a new arrival, and Rhodie had made her the judge._

_She gave the demon a once over as she approached. An anthropomorphic leopard, female, and dressed in a simple grey t-shirt and tight black pants, her feet were shoeless, exposing claws sharp enough to cut through bones. Slim but with some muscle. Young, but with the eyes of a killer. She could do well here._

_If she passed the audition._

_"You're skinny" she said as she walked, and the leopard twitched. Vaggie tried not to smirk as the lower part of her face was still visible "I hope you're fast, too, otherwise you're gonna get your ass kicked, hun"_

_"I'm fast" the leopard said. Huh, a British accent, she'd never met a British person before._

Sinner, _her mind corrected. Never met a British_ sinner _before._ _Damn, this new lingo took some getting used to._

_"We'll see" Vaggie said, and she came to a stop just a few feet in front of her "What's your name?"_

_"They call me Belladonna. And you're the Heartbreaker, right?"_

_"Yes I am" Vaggie replied, without egotism "And I'm going to be in charge of your audition today"_

_The leopard, Belladonna, looked confused, her right ear twitching amongst her thick mane of hair "Audition? I thought this was a fighting pit?"_

_Now Vaggie let herself smile "Yes it is, and if you wanna be a full time fighter then you've gotta pass the audition. Or, to put it another way...you've gotta get past_ me"

_Now Vaggie dropped into a boxing stance, both fists raised beneath her chin and her dominant leg in front of her. Belladonna looked surprised, but returned the pose. Quick reflexes, that was good._

_"We're going to fight three times. If you can hit me here-" she tapped her chest just over her heart before returning to her pose "-for three seconds then you win. I hit you, you loose. Beat me in two out of three and you pass the audition"_

_Belladonna's right ear twitched and brought her fists closer to her face "And if I don't?"_

_"Then we scrape your sorry ass off of the dirt and call you a cab home. Now" she pulled her fists towards her, and bared her fangs "Bring it on!"_

_*_

Now behind Vaggies head, the gun in Belladonnas hand jerked "Holy shit! _Hearts?!"_

"Hey 'Donna, nice to see you again" kind of. She was pointing a gun at her head "Could you put the gun down so I can turn around?"

"...No"

"What? Why not?"

"B-because! You, uh...Because I don't know why you're here, thats why! For all I know you're here to kidnap us for that stupid rehabitation hotel!"

Vaggie sighed. Big words had never been Donnas strong point "Don't worry, thats not why I'm here. Look, ive already had a shitty enough evening so could you please take the gun off of my head?!"

For a moment it seemed like Donna would do just that, the gun wavered. Then it pressed even harder into the back of Vaggies head "Rhodie would kill me if I just let some random in off the streets!"

Vaggie sighed "Belladonna, please don't make me do it"

The gun pressed harder "Don't you dare!"

But the last word was barely out of the demons mouth before Vaggie moved. The gun met empty air as she dropped into a crouch and, before Donna even had time to blink, she had swept her leg into the other demons ankles in a flawless sweeping roundhouse. Belladonna came down with a cry and a curse, and in a second Vaggie was on her, pulling the gun out of her loose grip and standing with the barrel pointed right between the other demons yellow eyes.

The leopard demon blinked in surprise then glowered up at her, her fangs bared in a hiss. Vaggie sighed.

"Is that ever _not_ going to work on you?"

Donna growled "You always were a sneaky little bitch"

"Yep"

Donna glared at the gun. Then her lips spread in a huge smile "Its so good to see you again, Vags!"

Vaggie grinned back "You too, hun"

Laughing she dropped the gun and helped her old friend to her feet, and Donna pulled her jnto a bone crushing hug "Oof, I missed you so _much!_ You never fucking visit, you bitch!"

Vaggie sighed into Donnas thick spotted hair and hugged her back "I know, but I had to get away from all this, you understand, right?"

"Yeah. For the Pacifist Princess" Donna snorted, pulling back "Thats why you're here, ain't it? I heard things went...bad...between you two"

Vaggie winced, her smile dipping "Yeah...we, uh, we broke up..."

"Fuck, I'm sorry. You need me to kick that Radio Dicks arse?"

"No, no" like she could, Alastor would tear her to shreds in minutes, but the offer still warmed her heart "Don't worry, I kicked him in the nuts""

"Atta girl!" Donna slapped her playfully on the shoulder and wrapped an arm around her "So how come it took you so fucking long to come and see us, bitch? Don't tell me you were trying to win her back?"

Vaggie scowled "No. She cheated on me, I don't..." she took a deep breath, fighting back the fire that brought back everything just from talking about it "I don't wanna talk about it, I just...I wanted to come and see you guys, if thats okay?"

"Okay? Of course its fucking okay! You know Jad wanted to come down and stab the Shitlord for you? But Spike said-" Donna stopped, biting her lip and awkwardly looking away. Vaggie frowned.

"Spike said what?"

"Um, nothing! Don't worry about it, its fine, just...okay, look, it kind of hit her the hardest when you chose the Princess over her, y'know?"

"What?" Vaggie was so confused, she and Spike had left on good terms hadn't they? She had told her about Charlie and she had been completely fine with it, she'd said so herself! "But I didnt! Spike and I weren't even a thing when I started dating Charlie!"

"Yeah, but you were still fucking her, weren't you?"

"But thats all it was, just sex! Youre saying she's mad at me?"

"...A bit"

Vaggie shook her head, flabbergasted, and Donnas large yellow eyes looked at her pityingly "Fuck, you're stupid. Alright, come on!" she took Vaggies hand and started leading her down the hall so fast the moth almost tripped over her own feet.

"Hey! Where are we going?"

"To the sparring hall! Jadis is working in there tonight and I know she'd love to see you, too! And Spikes getting ready to go into the pit so she won't hassle you!"

"And will she point a gun at my head, too?"

"Are you joking? Once she sees you she's gonna be eggstatic!"

*

"THIS FUCKING BITCH?!"

The temperature in the hall dropped about twenty degrees as a ten foot tall demoness physically froze the throwing stars in her hands. Literally. Beneath Jadis' large, thin hands the metal grew ice crystals and frost grew on the sparring equipement. Vaggie sighed, and it came out in a cloud.

"Hi, Jadis"

Belladonna's fur fluffed up beneath her thin tank top and she hugged her arms "Jesus, Jad, could you turn off your air conditioner? Its like fucking Narnia in here!"

Jadis's ice blue glare turned on the shivering leopard "I should fucking freeze you solid, bitch! What the hell are you doing, letting a quitter like her back here?!" she gestured at Vaggie with disgust. The moth rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Really, Jad, you're mad at me, too? Come on, so I left! it was five years ago! Get over it, already!"

Jadis' eyes almost flashed fire and her throwing stars frosted into giant snowflakes. Belladonna whimpered as icicles grew on her fur, and the tall demon stalked over on her long thin legs, tossing her long mane of light blue braids behind her head. The air grew colder and colder but Vaggie refused to shiver even as her fingers went numb. Soon enough Jadis stood before her, and Vaggie looked up at her icy gaze, unflinching, as her lips turned blue.

"Get over it?" Jadis spoke softly, dangerously "Get over it? Five years ago you left us, you broke the quartet, destroyed our friendship and walked out on us like we were nothing! Would a visit have killed you? A phone call? A fucking carrier pigeon for Christ's sake?!"

"Jad-"

"BITCH DO I SOUND LIKE IM DONE?! Fucking hell...I know we called you Heartbreaker, but you didnt have to break _our_ hearts!" a light blue hand in a white glove folded over Jadis' heart, her purple lips wobbling.

Vaggie raised an eyebrow "How long have you been holding that one in, Jadis?"

Jadis bared her sharp blue teeth, and leaned down until her face was level with the moths "About five fucking years"

Vaggie stepped forwards and leaned into the tall demons ear "Well, it was really fucking lame!"

Jadis sighed "Oh God, I know!"

Finally Vaggie let a smile break across her face "Five years to come up with a line and all you can think of is some cheesy heartbreaker joke?"

Jadis shook her long mane of braids "I know, I know! Your fault, I wasn't expecting you so I had to improvise, you cow!"

Both girls burst out laughing, hot steam rolling around them as the room finally heated back up, and Jadis held her arms out with a big grin "Vaggie!"

"Hey, Ice Queen!" Vaggie dove into the hug enthusiastically and the two girls swayed together, laughing. Jadis' cold skin almost froze Vaggies face, but she couldn't stop smiling. God, she hadn't realised how.much she'd missed Jadis' weird sense of humor!

*

_Rhodie took her to the barracks, pointed to a bunk bed, and left her there to get settled. Carrying a change of clothes and spare boots Vaggie walked among the rows of bunk beds, fully aware of the strange new eyes on her back. It was unnerving, but she held her head high and refused to meet any of them, even when one stretched out from the owners body and followed her for half her journey._

_Reaching her assigned bunk she dropped her stuff on the bottom bed and sat on the mattress. It was hard and cold from disuse. Perfect._

_She looked up and a dozen malformed, animalistic, sometimes shifting heads turned away. Vaggie shuddered, when the fuck was she going go get used to seeing actual fucking demons everywhere?_

_Still, could be worse, at least it wasn't like Hellraiser._

_"AHA! FRESSSSH BLOOOD!"_

_Suddenly freezing cold arms trapped her arms and pulled her onto the bed. Panic sparked. Instinct kicked in, and she kicked out as she was dragged onto the bed and forced onto her back._

_"Get the fuck off me!_ Puta! Puta de mierda!"

_Strong hands pinned her arms and Vaggie roared as a large, blue-white face rose above her, eyes a sparkling blue and a depraved grin that bore dazzling white fangs leering down at her._

_"So, this is the new meat, hmmmm?" fingers drummed on her arms and Vaggie kicked, but she may have been kicking a brick wall for all the good that it did "What a tiny little thing! Like a chicken wing! Ya know what we do with chicken wings, here, sweetheart?"_

_"GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME OR ILL TEAR OUT YOUR HEART AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR BITCH ASS!"_

_"Oooh, fiery! This one actually has some balls! Most sinners start crying when I do this, y'know"_

_"Do I look like a crier to you,_ puta?"

_"No. I think you'll do okay here!" suddenly Vaggies arms were released and the blue woman was sitting, crouched, on the bunk, inspecting her nails like nothing had happened. A hand was thrust into Vaggies face "Hi, I'm Jadis, and you're my new bunk mate!"_

_Suddenly the entire bunk was laughing, and Vaggie blinked at the proffered hand "What the FUCK?!"_

_Jadis smiled a warm, wide smile "Yep, we're gonna be friends, I can tell"_

_*_

"Vags! God. I. Missed. You!" Jadis cheered, rocking the smaller demon vigorously from side to side.

"And I forgot how much I don't miss your terrible jokes!"

"Eat me, I killed that!"

"Yeah, sure you did..." 

Eventually they released each other and, after laughing at 'Donna shaking water out of her fur and puffing up like a pastry, they relocated to a bench close to the target Jadis had been throwing her stars at (only the bullseye was crammed full of the little silver discs, the rest may as well have been a whole new target) and the three of them began to catch up alongside some leftover pepperoni pizza. Until then, Vaggie had forgotten that she'd had no dinner last night, too worried about Charlie's goddamn reunion. She tried not to wolf the pizza down as they talked, and of course it started with the immediate interrogation of Vaggie herself.

"So first question: why the sudden visit? Please tell me you're here to ask us to fuck up the Radio Demon, because me and Donny are totally down!"

"'At's wot I shaid!" 

"Donny, honey, don't talk with your mouth full"

Vaggie swallowed her own slice "And like I told Donny, thats not what I want, guys! I just came here to see if Will had been put on the Wall of Shame yet"

Jadis threw back her head and laughed "Oh shit, you saw that?! God, that was hilarious, like, I have never seen someone call the U word so fast, Wills been hiding at his place all night!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah! Hes terrified Rhodies gonna fire him for passing out so soon, like, he was already in trouble for skipping training and drinking on the job."

Vaggies eye widened "And she didn't fire him already?!"

" _I KNOW!_ It was that douche-tool Travis, he said that their stupid fucking rivalry brought in more viewers or some crap." Jadis shook her head in disgust "Complete bullshit, Travis only likes him because he covers for him when hes off fucking hookers"

"Fucking tool. Don't know why Rhodie doesn't just divorce him or kill him already" Belladonna chimed in, and Vaggie hummed in agreement, smiling.

Smiling. or the first time in months she was actually smiling, and laughing and none of it was forced. As Jadis and Donna caught her up on all the gossip she'd missed in the last five years, Vaggie felt a rubber band she hadn't known was around her chest loosen and break free, allowing her to actually _breathe_. 

"-and then I say to this guy 'Dude, you're out, stop coming at me' and he says to me 'It ain't over while I'm breathin'!" like, I've literally just chewed off this guys arms and legs but he's still raring to go! Kind of got to admire that!"

"Yeah, I heard you admire that in the bunks last week, you slag!"

"That wasn't me, that was Katana, dumbass!"

It was almost perfect, if only Spike were here. Even if she was mad at Vaggie (she still didn't understand why) it would be nice to see her face.

"Hey! Anyone in here?! I need a sparring partner!"

Almost as if her thoughts had summoned her, a bell like voice demanded attention before it even entered the room. Vaggie sat up straighter, not noticing how her two companions stiffened.

"Holy shit, is that Spike?"

"...Yes" Donna gulped "Yes it is."

"I thought she was done for the night?!" Jadis hissed, somehow growing even paler.

"I thought she was in bed!"

"Obviously not! Shit, Vaggie, you need to hide!"

"Hide?" Vaggie turned to the white demon in confusion "Oh come on, she can't be that mad at m-WOAH!"

Suddenly Belladonna was grabbing her arms and looking around frantically "Shit, Jade, where can we hide her?!"

_"Hello? I can hear voices, I know its you, Donna!"_

Donna whined, her ears turning down "Shit! Jadis!"

Rolling her eye Vaggie shrugged out of Donnas hands and turned to the pair "Guys, come on, this is Spike! Just because I've been away for a while doesn't mean I can't still kick her ass, its not like she's going to be able to kill me!"

"Doesn't mean she won't try!" Donna cried "Come on, we need to get you out of here before-"

"What. The. _FUCK?!"_

Jadis facepalmed with a groan. Donna whined low in her throat, and Vaggie finally pulled out if her grip enough to turn around, and face her old friend.

Spike stood in the doorway, a demon with a long crimson mane roughly the same height as Vaggie. Her black tank top and pants were covered with pinpricks, the skin beneath imp red. In her heart shaped face were large round eyes the warm brown of chocolate, and were wide as they stared at Vaggie without blinking, her full blood red lips parted with shock.

"You..." she whispered.

Vaggie smiled softly, raising a hand "Hey, long time no see, Spikey"

Spike didn't smile back. She stared at Vaggie like she was a ghost "You..."

Vaggie bit her lip and lowered her hand "Look, I...I know its been a while, I'm sorry I didn't visit before, but honestly it is so damn good to see you, Spike, I've missed you"

Spike just stared. Vaggie took a step towards her "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Then Spikes eyes narrowed. Her pink face went pale, and she growled. Suddenly her skin shifted hideously, and rw upon row of sharp, black spiked protruded from every inch of her small body.

"Oh shit!"

"Bollocks!"

"You BITCH!"

Spike threw her body forwards, and Vaggie gasped as dozens of quills came shooting right for her.

_SHIT!_


	3. I'll Call You Sometime!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaggie has a fond reunion with Spike.

_Five years ago:_

_Vaggie had never seen a real Colosseum before, only in pictures, and looking around this one she wondered if the ones in the living world had looked like this when they were first built. Huge, the bricks sleek and black, the sand dark red with blood..._

_"Hey. You"_

_She was pulled from her musings by a girl walking towards her. She was relieved to see that she wasn't as...demonic, as other sinners she'd seen (Rhodies new form had been a BIG surprise!) she was small, a head shorter than Vaggie with a petite body, her skin red and large brown eyes. Her hair was a mess of scarlet that was desperate to escape from its ponytail and she wore a simple black T-shirt and tight fitting black pants. She was strangely pretty, in a sweetheart serial killer kind of way._

_The girl-_ sinner! _She was a sinner-stopped just a few feet away with her arms behind her back. Her eyes drew up and down Vaggies body in a critical way, much like Rhodie had done when she first asked for a job. She stood still and let the assessment take place. Once she was done, the girl met her eye._

_"Okay sweetie, my names Spike and I'm gonna be holding your audition today"_

Spike? What, did you watch too many Buffy episodes or something? _She nodded "Yes. Rhodie explained it all to me, I'm supposed to kick your ass twice, right?"_

_Spikes eyelid twitched and Vaggie fought a smirk. A tiny little hothead, she couldn't have asked for a better opponent._

_"Well, since you seem to know everything, let's not waste time, huh?" the girl drew her leg back and fisted her hands at her sides in a typical Karate fight pose "Come at me. If you can" she smirked._

Oh honey, you have no idea who you're playing with...

_Now Vaggie allowed herself to smirk. She took a few steps back and ran at the girl to catch her in a flying kick-_

_But before she could make contact Spike arched her back and Vaggie barely had time to register the small pinpricks of black emerging from her arms and torso before Spike threw herself forward, and then Vaggie was crying out in pain and falling to the ground._

_Quills...quills everywhere! Like giant fucking knives embedded in her face and chest and by GOD it hurt! She clutched at her face and hissed in pain as her 'Easy Win' laughed._

_"Wasn't expecting that was ya, sweetie? AHAAA! You should see your face!"_

_Fucking bitch! Okay, it was a good move, she had to give her that, but no-one caught her by surprise and got away with it! She tore a quill from her cheek and snarled at the bitch "I'm gonna beat your ass into the fucking ground!"_

_"Yeah? Bring it on!"_

_Vaggie pushed herself up to her knees and leapt at Spike with a scream._

_*Some time later*_

_"Ah! Ah! Oh fuck, Vaggie! FUCK! YES"_

_Vaggie unhooked Spikes legs from around her neck and sat up. Wiping her mouth she grinned down at the trembling demon as she panted into the pillow, her long red hair in complete disarray over her face. With a giggle she leaned down and kissed a flushed cheek, and Spike cracked her eyes open to weakly glare._

_"Ugh, how dare you..." she hummed, and Vaggie arched an eyebrow._

_"What, you didn't like it?_

_"Fuck you. If your ego gets any bigger its gonna develop its own damn orbit!"_

_"Probably" Vaggie swept the red locks out of Spikes face and cupped her cheek "but thats how you like me, isn't it, hun?"_

_If it was possible, Spikes skin reddened even further. She tried to cover it with a scoff and turned her face away "Keep bigging yourself up and I'll fucking spike you"_

_"Oh, but if you do that then I won't be able to do this again" Vaggie trailed a hand down her body and grinned when Spikes belly twitched._

_"Uhn...damn you..."_

_Vaggie chuckled "I tell you what" she said, leaning down to kiss Spikes abdomen "If you promise not to sick your spikes on me in our fight next week, I'll do it again, does that sound fair to you?"_

_Spike grunted, but her trembling body betrayed her "Fine...I promise not to sick my spikes on yOU OH GOD!"_

*

"EAT MY SPIKES YOU FUCKING WHORE!"

Vaggies eye widened and she would've been hit with a face full of quills had Belladonna not jumped on top her just in time. The leopard demon yowled painfully as the spikes embedded her flesh, and she snarled.

"DAMMIT SPIKE YOU CRAZY BITCH!"

"DONNA GET OUT OF THE FUCKING WAY!"

"SPIKE, STOP!" 

Vaggie wriggled out from beneath Donna just in time to see the red demon struggling furiously in Jadis' arms, ignorant to the frost seeping over her skin.

"Let me go! Let me fucking go she fucking deserves it! She fucking-"

"Girl, you need to calm down!"

 _"Don't fucking tell me to fucking calm down!_ Shes had this coming for fucking years, _you know what she did to me!"_

"What did I do?!" Vaggie yelled. Belladonna groaned on the floor and Vaggie held her hand, looking up at the sinner who glared at her with such hatred "Spike, what did I do to you? I don't understand!"

If at all possible, Spikes face grew even angrier and Jadis struggled to keep hold of her "YOU KNOW! _YOU FUCKING KNOW WHAT YOU FUCKING DID BITCH!"_

There was an ungodly roar and a cry of pain as Spike unleashed her quills like a deranged porcupine, forcing Jadis to let go as her arms bled. Now free Spike tore at Vaggie, completely deranged and she was fast, so fast that the moth didnt have time to do anything but shield her face and brace for impact.

_"That. Is. Enough"_

But it never came. All at once everything stopped. Spikes screams, Belladonna's groans, Vaggies heart, everything came to a grinding halt as Spike stopped mid-run and toppled to the floor with a thud.

"Now, what on Earth is going on here?"

Vaggie went very still. That voice, she hadn't heard it in five years and yet it still had the power to stop wars and make her blood freeze.

"Well well well. Look whose come back to the Dome..." 

Heavy boots clacked on the hardwood floor. Jadis shrunk back as a shadow larger and wider than hers crossed her. Spike stared at the floor as glowing red eyes forced her quills back into her body, and Belladonnas ears folded down as the hulking figure stopped just a few feet away.

Obsidian lips, with the texture and shine of metal, curved into a cold smile over large, slate fangs _"Vagatha..."_

Vaggie swallowed and tried not to tremble "Hey Rhodie"

*

_The Living World, 13 years ago_

_"Well, well, well, who do we have here?"_

_Vaggie stiffened as a voice entered the kitchen of the house she'd broken into. The voice belonged to a woman who looked like Andre the Giants taller sister, her whole body was made of pure muscle wrapped in black leather and her hair was shaven to a buzz cut on top her her sharp angled face._

_But she could take her. Totally. She'd taken care of her Uncle just a feq days agi, she could take in this giant! Vaggie clenched her bloody knuckles as the woman looked down. A skinny man writhed on the floor, his pork pie hat lost on the ground as he clutched his face and blood streamed from his broken nose._

_The woman regarded this with all the care of a person walking across a dog turd in the street, and looked up at the panting girl with fire in her single eye and a squashed loaf of bread next to her feet, clearly taken from her own fridge, and smiled._

_"What's your name, little one?"_

*

"Vagatha"

Vaggie swallowed and tried not to shit herself. If the woman had been large in life, it was nothing compared to her now. She towered over even Jadis, her enormous muscles great bulges of black grenade casings and spikes wrapped in an enourmous leather jacket. Her eyes were burning orbs of orange fire in a dark metal face, and right now they were fixed on Vaggie as she walked with great, booming footsteps until she was standing a foot in front of her.

Vaggie met her gaze. Rhodie crossed her thick arms behind her back.

"Its been a long time, Heartbreaker. Tell me, what brings you back here?" she asked, her voice deep and gravelly but somehow soft. Vaggie was in trouble.

"I...I came to see the girls" she said. Rhodie glanced at said girls and Jadis looked down. After a minute of non-verbal intimidation the enormous demon turned back to the tiny moth, her metal face expressionless.

"You came to see the girls. Well, I can see why you'd do that, your love life's in the shitter, you're the joke of the entire pentegram, and you have no friends to turn to. Why wouldn't you come back?"

Vaggie fought not to break Rhodies gaze as each statement hit her like a knife. She started to respond, but was cut off when the huge demon moved at an impossible speed and suddenly her face was an inch from her own.

_"But what the fuck makes you think you can just walk back into my fucking ring after you discarded us all like dog shit off of your fucking shoe, huh? Without my permission, might I add?!"_

Vaggies heart nearly stopped when Rhodies voice raised. She lost the battle with her body and her fists clenched as she tried not to panic in front of her old mentor "I-"

"Shut the fuck up, Vagatha"

Vaggie couldn't help a shriek as massive hands came for her and she was lifted into the air, then was thrown over an equally massive shoulder. Wind rushed over her face as Rhodie turned and she instinctively clutched at the armored spikes to keep her balance. Oh fuck, she was so screwed! Why the hell hadn't she called first, she was such an idiot!

To her horror she saw Donna start to try and protest, but Vaggie quickly shook her head, there was no sense in her getting into trouble too. She saw Jadis emerge and place a hand on the girls spotted shoulder. She gave the moth a mournful look, mouthing ' _Good Luck_ '

Vaggie wasnt looking for Spike, but she found her anyway. She had picked herself up off of the floor and was glaring at Vaggie visciously, no compassion whatsoever in those dark eyes as she mouthed the words ' _Fuck. You!'_

 _Great._ Vaggie dropped her head against an armored shoulder as Rhodie carried her out of the sparring hall. 

*

Walking into Rhodies office was like walking into an assassins armoury. Weapons that went back for centuries lined the dark brick walls, surrounding a huge desk and chair that could've fit five Vaggies comfortably. (Unbeknowest to her employees under the desk was a small bookcase filled with paperback bodice-ripper novels, but only Vaggie knew about that)

She grunted as Rhodie dumped feet first on the ground. The gigantic demon walked up to her desk, leaning against it as her fiery eyes locked on the girl before her.

"So. You've come back"

Even after all this time, after everything, Rhodies gravelly voice still had the power to make her stand to attention and hope for mercy. She nodded stiffly "Yes, Ma'am"

"After all this time"

"Yes Ma'am"

"Without so much as a word. You walk back in here like you think you have any right to"

Vaggie swallowed "Apparently, Ma'am"

Rhodies supernova eyes burned into hers, the exact shade of a boiling sun. Then they closed, and the gargantuan woman let out a sigh as she rubbed a hand over her hairless head "Dammit, Vagatha..."

Her moves were sudden as Rhodie moved forward and before Vaggie could so much as twitch Rhodie was kneeling before her, her arms outstretched-

-and she took Vaggie into her arms and crushed her to her chest, hugging her hard, but not hard enough to hurt.

Vaggie blinked, stunned. Then her eye welled up as so many repressed emotions made their way to the surface. She wrapped her arms around Rhodie as best she could and tucked her face into her neck "Rhodie...I..." she sniffled "Fuck, I missed you!"

Rhodies rumbling laugh shook her whole body "You sappy little shit"

Vaggies laugh was watery and the two held each other for some time. She could count on one hand the amount of times Rhodie had hugged her like this, but every time she did it made her feel like that fucked up fourteen year old again, being held in Rhodies large arms as she soothed her after a nightmare, their familiar and deadly size and strong grip comforting her, making her feel so safe, like no-one could harm her as long as she stayed right here...

Eventually, the hug had to end, and when it did Vaggie had to wipe her eye. Rhodie smiled crookedly "Crying? Really? Jesus Christ, you've gone soft"

"I have not!" Rhodie chuckled again and Vaggie couldn't help a sheepish smile "Maybe a little..."

"So I see. I told you that princess would ruin you, didn't I?" Vaggies smile froze on her face. Rhodie grinned "Nice tackle, by the way"

"Oh God..."

"Don't bring him into this, he can't help you now" Rhodie went around her desk and sat down in her massive chair, gesturing for Vaggie to do the same with the much smaller chair in front of it. As the moth settled down, Rhodie pulled a pack of cigarettes from a drawer and lit it. Taking a drag she tilted the box to Vaggie "Want one?"

"I gave them up, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Another condition to being the princesses arm candy, right?"

Vaggie sighed "Rhodie, please don't"

Rhodie took a deep drag and blew it out, creating a thick fog of smoke around her head "I remember when you would steal the cigarettes from your marks. I'd say it was your signature but we all know what that was, don't we?"

Vaggies hands clenched on her knees "...I remember, you don't need to remind me"

"Don't look at me like that, Vagatha, you used to have so much fun! Why, you would come home telling everyone every tiny detail of your conquests. You almost made Travis sick!"

Vaggie stayed quiet, and after a moment Rhodie took the hint "You're no fun. Well, since you're here, we might as well chew the fat. How did the big reunion with the girls go?" she asked, smirking. 

"I think you know it could've gone better" Vaggie responded, and the large demon bellowed with booming laughter.

"You don't fucking say? Little Spike was about to gouge your eyes out, Vagatha, and that was just for starters. She's been talking about what she'd do to you if she ever got her hands on you for years, now"

"But why, Rhodie? I seriously don't understand what I did to make her hate me so much!"

"Weren't you two fucking before you left with the princess?"

"Yeah! But Spike and I ended that amicably! It was just sex, it wasn't like we had feelings for each other!"

"...Youre a fucking idiot"

Vaggie blinked. But before she could ask just what the fuck _that_ meant Rhodie was talking again "So how goes shit at the hotel? Other than the melodrama?"

Vaggie crossed her arms over her chest, silent as she wondered how much to tell her. Rhodie was a good woman, she knew that, but she had this way of turning any information given to her to her benefit, and as much as Vaggie trusted her, she knew when to keep her mouth shut "Things are fine. We have five patients now, and its...tough, but I think we're getting through to them"

If you blatantly ignored the tantrums, the smuggled narcotics, the fights and the sinners that seemed to go into Baxters lab and never come out. Rhodie snorted "Riiiight"

"But enough about me! What about you? How are things?" Vaggie asked, eager to change the subject. 

"Subtle. But since you ask, things are going as well as they usually do. Katana just got hired by some overlord who wants to take out some fortune teller in the East and your ex girlfriends beating off buyers with a stick. Will though..." she tutted softly and flicked some ash into the dustbin beside her desk "We need to have a little 'Chat' after that fight..."

 _Well, Will had a good afterlife._..

"My worthless husbands trying to talk me out of it. I think he might want to stick his dick into him" Rhodie barked a laugh, and Vaggie smiled.

"Why did you even marry Travis, Rhodie?"

"Eh, I needed a getaway driver, he needed someone to keep the loan sharks from breaking his legs. Men are simple creatures, Vagatha, if they want the milk, youve got to make them buy the whole damn cow. Else they'll screw you over and tell everyone you were a lousy lay"

Vaggies expression darkened as she thought back to earlier that night, to Angel laughing at her with Crymini and HotSpot "Oh yeah, tell me about it"

"Based on that broadcast I don't think I need to. What have I always said about men, Vagatha?"

Automatically, Vaggie repeated the words she had been taught by heart years ago "'Men are nothing but snivelling pigs, terrified of the day women will realise their independence and grind them into the dirt where they belong'"

"Very good" said Rhodie, monotone "But I don't think you'll have any problem with that. I hear you've been doing plenty of grinding, lately"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, a little birdie told me that five demons got themselves carved up like a Christmas turkey the other day. Done in a very _specific_ way"

Vaggie stiffened. Fuck, how did she know about that?! "I don't know anything about that"

Rhodies eyes narrowed. She stopped smoking "Do. Not. Lie to me, Vagatha. You think I don't know my girls work when I hear about it?"

"I-"

"There was a word carved into one of the chests, I believe it said _-"_

"Alright! Stop!" Vaggie cried. She'd been trying not to think about it ever since it happened, the blood, the screams, the sheer satisfaction she felt when she saw the fear in the demons eyes as she ripped their hearts out and tore their limbs off of their bodies, it had been...euphoric. And she'd been trying like Hell to forget about it ever since.

Rhodie smiled "Nice work, Vagatha"

 _Shit._ Why, why did those words always fill her with pride even now? She wasn't supposed to, she was supposed to feel bad. No, wait, she _did_ feel bad! She shouldn't have done it, she should've fought it, she-

"Stop thinking so hard, hun, you'll give yourself a nosebleed"

Vaggies fists clenched. She stared at her knees "I shouldn't have done it..."

"But you did do it. Its who you are, Vagatha, its who you've been since you were a child, you shouldn't fight it, my dear"

Once again, Vaggie stayed quiet, staring off to the side of the room where a trash can full of cigarette butts overflowed onto the carpet. She heard Rhodie tut, then cough.

"Why are you here, Vagatha?"

Vaggie blinked "What do you mean, why am I here? I-I told you, I came here to see the old gang, I've been..." she let out a sigh and fell back into her chair. A loose strand of hair fell into her face and she blew it away "I've been having a bad time, since Charlie and I broke up. I wanted to come to a place where people won't...where I still have friends" the image of Spike lunging at her flashed in her mind and she winced "Most of my friends"

"Bullshit"

Vaggie looked up. Rhodie was looking down at her with a half smoked cigarette and a face like stone "Wha-"

"You didn't come here to reconcile with the girls. Maybe that's what you told yourself but I know you, Vagatha. Those demons in the street might have sated your rage for a short time, but now you've been humiliated again, taken advantage of, paraded about like a walking joke and you're angry-"

"No-"

"But this time a bunch of stupid demon asshats isn't going to cut it, is it? You want to unleash that rage in a space where you'll be _challenged_ , you want to take down someone who'll put up a real _fight!_ In simple terms" Rhodie stubbed out her cigarette in an ashtray and leaned forwards on her elbows, her eyes burning yellow orbs in her head "You want to unleash the _Beast!"_

Vaggie stood up, her fists clenched "No. I am not that girl anymore, Rhodie, there's no more Beast, no more Heartbreaker, theres just me! Vaggie! And I don't want to kill people anymore!"

"Not even the Radio Demon?"

Vaggie flinched. She turned away "Don't"

"What about the Von Eldritch girl? She humiliated you not six hours ago-"

"Rhodie-"

"Maybe even the little princess, you looked pretty feral when you tried to rip her face off earlier-"

"Stop it!" Vaggie cried, visibly shaking "Goddammit, know what youre doing, its not going to work! I'm done being a killer and I'm done being a fighter, and there is nothing you can say that will make me come back!"

Rhodie looked at her for a long time, a new cigarette smoldering in her hand. Vaggies blood was swimming with adrenaline and she dared to look her old boss directly in the eyes. Then Rhodie drew her cigarette to her lips and drew in a deep lungful of killer smoke.

"Stubborn until the end, aren't you Vagatha?" she said, but her tone was light and Vaggie relaxed.

"You've always known that, Ma'am"

Rhodie hummed, and Vaggie dared to believes he saw a flicker of a smile "Well, if you're not going to fight for me then you can fuck off, the girls are done for the night so I guess you can go play with them"

Vaggie was stunned. Rhodie was letting her go? Just like that? She stared at her old mentor, expecting a trick, until the woman flicked her hand at her "You're dismissed, Vagatha!"

"...Thanks, Rhodie" she turned away and started to leave, but found herself pausing at the door "It was really good to see you again. I've missed you"

There was a beat of silence, then Rhodie snorted "Soft as a fucking raw egg, get out of here before I vomit"

Smiling softly Vaggie did as she asked and walked out into the hall, and it was only when she closed the door behind her that she realised that her heart was pounding.

Breathing deeply she clutched a hand to her chest, that had been...intense, to say the least. She scolded herself for not realising that Rhodie would probably try to drag her back into the game sooner, she had been very reluctant to let Vaggie leave all those years ago, and for a while after she left had tried to win her back with bribes and manipulation and some, admittedly, underhanded tactics. But this time she had let her go so easily, with barely an argument! Maybe she had finally accepted that Vaggie would never-

_"AAAAAARGH!"_

There wasnt even have time to look up before Spike pounced on her and clamped her hands around her throat. Her eyes were wide and insane with rage and her fangs were mere inches from Vaggies neck " _You fucking bitch I'll kill you!"_

"S-Spike!" Vaggie gasped as her neck was crushed _"St-stop!"_

 _"NO WAY, BITCH! YOURE FUCKING_ MINE!"

Vaggie gasped as her throat was squeezed tighter. She tried to roll onto her front but Spike rose up and sat down hard on her stomach, winding her. She scraped her claws against deep red skin but all that did was make Spike growl.

"What the hell is going on out here? I'm trying to work!"

Rhodie! Oh, thank God! 

"This bitch has it coming, Rhodie! You know what she did to me!"

 _What?!_ Vaggie wanted to scream, _what did I do to you? Why won't anyone tell me?!_ She looked up at Rhodie pleadingly but, rather than helping her, the large demon leaned against her doorway and watched the merciless strangulation with all the concern of someone looking at fish in a fucking aquarium!

"Well well, that is a pickle..."

 _RHODIE!_ Black spots were appearing before her eye, she was starting to loose consciousness.

"But Spike, I have to say this is a very poor show of revenge. If you're going to kill Vaggie, shouldn't you do it properly?"

_WHAT?!_

"What?!"

"Little one, if you want to just kill her then by all means go ahead-" oh, great! "-but if its revenge you're after, why not settle this where everyone can see? Where sinners all across the pentegram can watch and jeer as she takes her comeuppance?"

_Oh FUCK YOU RHODIE!_

Suddenly the constricting hands loosened, and Vaggie sucked in a grateful gulp of air. Her stomach hurt like a bitch and her throat felt like an empty tube of toothpaste, and she coughed hard as she tried to speak.

"N-no!"

"That sounds like a great fucking idea, Ma'am" Spike smiled darkly. Vaggie shook her head.

"No! I told you no!" she coughed violently, her throat screaming from its abuse. When she recovered she pounded a fist against the ground "RHODIE!"

Rhodie just smirked and winked at her. Vaggie opened her mouth to protest again but was slammed into the floor instead, hitting her head so hard on the ground her vision spun. When it settled, Spikes face was all she could see.

"You either fight me in the Dome, or I swear on Satan's hairy balls I'm going to come to that hotel of yours, and we can settle this right fucking there! YOU WILL FIGHT ME, YOU FUCKING COWARD!"

 _Fuck!_ She couldve so easily grabbed her spear and put and end to this, but that would give Spike the excuse she needed to come after her. Spike never made idle threats, she really would come to the hotel, and despite what was going on between her and Charlie she couldn't allow that, her stomach curled from there mere thought of the relentless teasing Angel and Alastor would bombard her with and, frankly, she'd had enough humiliation to last the rest of her afterlife.

Vaggie glared at Rhodie bitterly. Fucking underhanded tactics, indeed!

"Fine"

Fire ignited in Spikes ebony eyes and she scrambled off of her to go get ready, making sure to kick Vaggie in the side as she went. Rhodie clapped her hands together "Great! I'll inform the announcer, youre on in twenty minutes!"

"DAMN YOU!"

Rhodie laughed, deep and rumbling, and Vaggie groaned into her hands as she lay back on the floor. She may not have come here for a fight, but it looked like she was getting one.

Whether she liked it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck me sideways, this took forever to get out, apologies for that! The next chapter is already in the works so hopefully, it won't take as long. Next chapter is going to get violent! *Mortal Combat music plays*
> 
> Also, Rhodies views on men do not reflect my own!


	4. Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spike and Vaggie fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of forewarning, the fight scene sucks. I'm not good at them, I'm practicing, hopefully the rest of the chapter makes up for it.

_I can't believe she actually kept it._

Vaggie stood in the dank changing rooms, holding in her hands the uniform of her Dome days. A skintight bodysuit of the deepest black, the material rife with patches and askew stitches. This suit had seen her through a lot of fights and it showed. Vaggie rubbed her thumb over the well worn fabric, slightly stiff after years of disuse.

_Hello again, old friend..._

On the bench next to her lay her old mask. It was black, too, like the suit, and made to completely cover her face, which was a relief. The last thing she needed was anyone recognising her and sending word back to Charlie.

Although the matches were broadcasted...and Charlie had met her when she was Heartbreaker...what would she think of her, if she found out?

Vaggie shook that thought away. This wasn't like it was before, she wasn't doing this for some sick enjoyment, she was doing it because she had no choice! And she would explain that to Charlie if word got out! It would be just the one time, anyway, nothing for her to freak out about.

_Its not like she has any reason to freak out anyway, it's not like I'm doing this because I want to..._

She took off her hoodie and pants and wrestled herself into the tight garment. She'd been more than good to her ever since she did what she did, hadnt she? She hadnt started any arguments with anyone, she hadn't snapped at Alastor, Hell, she'd even gone to her stupid reunion with her to keep up her precious image, she had practically been a fucking angel! If anything, she deserved to let off a little steam, right?

A hard rap came from behind the door, interrupting her thoughts. Belladonna's voice called out "Five minutes, babe"

Vaggie sighed. Well, guess time had run out for her to make a quick getaway. She twisted her hair into a large, messy knot on the back of her head and pulled her mask on. It melded with her suit perfectly, making her look completely covered in black armor. She then reached for the bench and picked up the last accessory for her suit, a thin black belt that carried a multitude of visable blades, daggers and throwing stars. She pulled it over her head and fixed it to a strap on her shoulder and waist, securing it around her torso.

There was a mirror on the back of the dressing room door. She went over to it to make sure that her belt was on correctly (Even though she had never gotten it wrong in her afterlife. But hey, after five years, a girl could get sloppy)

She looked at her reflection. The belt was on perfectly, not a sag in sight, but she didnt step away. This was the first time she had seen herself in her fight suit in years, and she was amazed how...familiar she looked.

The girl in the mirror was covered completely in shining black skin, her transparent eyes grey and menacing, her fingers tipped with silver claws that could tear a sinner in two with one fatal slash, and she wore boots that came up to her knees, heeled and tight, hiding the shock sticks they concealed, and around her torso she wore her favoured weapons like medals, shiny and sharp and deadly.

As Vaggie looked at herself she felt a familiar feeling come over her, one she had long forgotten. A rock hard, assured feeling of absaloute power.

 _You Are Ready,_ the feeling said, _You Are A Warrior, You Are The Slaughterer. You Are Heartbreaker!_

Unconsciously, she reached up and touched her face. The badass in the mirror copied her movement, stroking her silver tipped claws down her cheek and towards her chin. Her heart pounded as an adrenaline rush as old as time began to take hold.

_Knock knock!_

_"Vags? You ready?"_

Vaggie jumped so hard she almost peed her damn pants. What the fuck was she doing, ogling herself like some brainless supermodel? For Gods sake, it wasn't like she was keeping the stupid outfit! "Y-yeah, be right out!"

_"Okay! Rhodie says to go to gate 1 and move your arse!"_

"Of course she does. I'm coming out, now!"

 _"Okay. Um. See you out there, babe..."_ there was a soft sniffle outside, and then Belladonna's soft footsteps quickly fading out. Vaggie rolled her eye and opened the door. If Belladonna had been there, she would've told her not to worry, Spike would rough her up a bit, but she would never really kill her no matter how mad she was.

Of that, at least, she was certain.

*

_Five years ago_

_"...Maria Velenosa, Tracy McConnell, and Spike"_

_"Spike? Isn't she the demon from the Fury Dome?"_

_"Yeah, hun. We, uh, we hooked up a little while after I got down here"_

_"...Right" Vaggie could feel Charlie's frown as she held her close in the bed, her chin on top of her head "Uh, I know it-its not really any of my business, a-and you don't even have to tell me if you don't wanna! But, uh, are you two...still-"_

_"No, Charlie, we're not sleeping together anymore" Vaggie felt Charlie's sigh of relief and smiled against her chest "I ended it a couple of weeks ago"_

_Charlie pulled back to look at her with wide eyes "A couple of weeks?"_

_"Yeah. I wasn't gonna carry on with her when I started seeing you! I may be a sinner but I'm not a slut" she kissed Charlie's clavicle softly and felt the princesses pleased shudder._

_"B-but what about Spike? Won't she be mad?"_

_"No way, me and Spike were just a casual thing, a way to blow off some steam. Besides, if she was mad about it I would_ know!"

The crowd was thrumming with anticipation, Vaggie could hear them all. She stood in a long concrete hall, just shy of a thin archway that led directly into the arena. Somewhere, she knew, Spike was standing in her own archway, waiting for the go ahead from the announcer. Vaggie stood there, waiting, her fingers twitching as her heart pounded beneath her suit.

She couldn't believe she was doing this again. It would be just the once, she told herself, but it would be against Spike, and Spike was her friend. Sure, she had just tried to choke the life out of her but she wasn't the first to try that. She didn't want to hurt her.

She just wished she knew why she was so goddamn mad! She wracked her brain, trying to figure out what she could have done but came up empty. Dammit, everyone else seemed to know, would it have been so hard for them to fucking tell her?!

If she knew, she and Spike could've talked about it, and they wouldn't have to resort to...this.

The announcers voice boomed into the arena, and on instinct she straightened her back.

_"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, SINNERS AND HELLBORN, WELCOME BACK TO THE SECOND HALF OF THE FURY DOOOOME!"_

A chacophany of cheers swelled within the arena. Vaggie saw a flash of red from the other end and her heart constricted.

_"OKAY EVERYONE, QUIET DOWN, QUIET DOWN! **SHUT THE FUCK UP!**...NOW, WE HAVE A SPECIAL TREAT FOR YOUR POISONOUS SOULS TONIGHT! FOR JUST ONE NIGHT ONLY, WE ARE WITNESS TO THE RETURN OF A VERY OLD FRIEND! SHES STRONG, SHE'S UNDEFEATED, SHE'LL RIP OUT YOUR HEART AND EAT IT FOR LUNCH, GIVE IT UP FOR...HEARTBREAKEEEERRRRRR **!"**_

_"No fucking way!"_

_"Holy SHIT! I thought she was dead!"_

_"FUCK YES! FUCK YES! HEARTBRREAKEEEERRR **!"**_

Vaggie had heard those cheers a thousand times before but it never got any less annoying. She had to walk out there and showboat and act like she gave a crap what those idiots thought, and wait for minutes that seemed like hours until the drunken cheering died down and the fight could begin. When she walked into the pit this time she didnt give the crowd so much as a wave. The place was as packed as it ever was, not a discipherable face in sight, and they were all cheering for her, screaming her name.

Vaggie walked to the centre of the Dome, teeth gritted against red hot annoyance. _Just fucking call Spike already you dick!_

As if he'd heard her, the announcers booming voice filled the colluseum again:

_"AND HER OPPONENT! ITS THE QUEEN OF THE QUILLS! THE WALKING IRON MAIDEN! GIVE IT UP FOR THE REIGNING FURY DOME CHAMPION, **SPIKE!"**_

The screams swelled to a deafening pitch and banners bearing Spike's name appeared as the demon herself strode into the pit. She too ignored the crowd, her sole focus her opponent. Beneath her mask, Vaggie swallowed. She didn't want to do this. 

"Spike..." she said. They were close enough that the other demon could hear "We don't have to do this, we can just talk this out!"

Spike growled "Its too late to talk, Vaggie. Five _fucking years too late!"_

"Spike-!"

_**"FIIIIIGHT!"** _

Vaggie wasn't expecting it. Spike was.

Razor spikes an inch thick shot straight for Vaggies face. She barely ducked in time and hissed as a sharp point grazed her cheek. She was on her knees, looking up at Spike, and the demon was already bringing forth more quills for her next attack. She rolled quickly and barely avoided an unnecessary actupuncture session.

"Spike-!"

"Stay still!" Spike screamed. A long spike the length of Vaggies body oozed out of her hand ten inches thick and she threw it hard. A sharp sting grazed Vaggies face.

She touched her cheek. There was red.

_"OOOH, LOOKS LIKE HEARTBREAKERS A LITTLE SLOW TONIGHT, SINNERS! I GUESS THATS WHAT FIVE YEARS AWAY FROM HOME DOES TO YOU, HUH?"_

Spike laughed darkly, hands on her hips as she watched her "Aw, what's the matter, sweetie? You all tuckered out from your little temper tantrum at the reunion? I gotta say, that was some quality TV, Hearts. I haven't laughed that hard in years!"

Vaggies eyes narrowed. Fine. If it was a fight Spike wanted, its a fight she'd get!

She materialised her spear and blocked the four quills that came shooting towards her. She pressed in, slashing at Spike, and the demon dodged fluidly but she kept coming, trying to press in close enough to hit but Spike was too fast. Soon she was leaping out of the way as a huge quill shot for her belly. Searing pain grazed her side and she grunted, feeling blood well.

"OOOH LOOK AT THAT TWO HITS IN THE SPACE OF TWO MINUTES! LOOKS LIKE THE OLD CHAMP IS NOT ON FORM TONIGHT, LADIES AND GENTS!"

Vaggie growled. Fuck that guy.

She reached down to her boots and unclipped the secret compartment in her nonexistent heels, and the shock sticks crackled to life in her hands.

With a roar she dove for Spike and felt more quills shed her skin as she drove a stick forward, aiming for her leg. Spike moved but Vaggies aim was good, and she struck the meat of Spikes thigh. The red demon cried out and Vaggie felt a thrill of victory, adrenaline coursing through her veins. She removed the stick and let Spike drop as she moved in further so they were now face to face, and Vaggie grabbed the back of Spikes neck and threw her into the dirt.

"BITCH!" Spike roared, but before she could get up Vaggie threw herself onto her back, straddling her and punching the back of her head and Spikes face was once again driven into the dirt. Vaggie punched again, and again, trying to knock her out as Spikes body jerked beneath her. She saw her fists wilt, her body grow slack, and Vaggie raised a fist to deliver the final blow-

Only to scream out in pain as thick quills were driven into her thighs. With a roar Spike rolled and then Vaggie was on her back, and now Spike sat astride her, her face and body a mess of protruding quills and blood. She moved too fast and Vaggie gasped as harsh fingers dug into her neck, choking the breath out of her.

"YEEEAH! GO SPIKE GO!"

"FINISH HER!"

"COME ON, HEARTBREAKER KICK HER ASS!"

"YOU CAN DO IT!"

"KISS! KISS!"

Reallly? 

Vaggie lifted a shock stick but a quill through the arm stopped it dead in its tracks. Vaggie roared in pain as the spike punched through her flesh, her vision going white, but Spikes fingers in her neck and her twisted smile above her stopped her from blacking out completely. Rage welled up in her, turning her vision red and firing through her veins. It was a rage she had spent five years suppressing, and had only given into once in that time.

But now she needed it, because like hell was she going to be humiliated twice in one fucking day!

Her eye burned red and her sharp claws cut through the silver tips of her gloves. Fire blazed inside of her, blocking the pain in her arm and her throat. With her free arm she grabbed Spikes hands and bucked her hips, but Spike refused to be moved. Vaggie gasped as her lungs began to scream.

"Where's your precious princess now, huh?" Spike grunted "Wonder what she'd think of ya if she saw ya like this, dressed up for battle and pinned! Maybe she'll see it on the t.v and finally get rid of you! Wouldn't that be some karmatic irony, huh?!" she laughed horribly. Vaggie tried to grab her face and the red demon ducked easily.

"Why don't we show her that pretty face, huh? Let her see you in all your fucking glory!"

Sharp fingernails scraped her neck, and to her horror Vaggie realised that Spike was trying to remove her mask.

_No!_

Her hand grabbed Spikes wrists and twisted them until the demon cried out and arched away from her, that was all Vaggie needed to get a knee up and drive it hard into Spikes chest, knocking the cursing demon into the dirt. This caused the spike in Vaggies arm to be ripped out of her, but now she barely felt it. Her mind was a flare of white noise, focused on one single goal.

_Kick. Spikes. Fucking. Ass!_

Screaming she leapt on top of Spike and punched her hard in the face, and by God it felt good! So good that she did it again, and again, and again.

Something snapped beneath her fists.

Warm wetness splashed against her suit.

Spikes dug into her legs and knuckles but she was too pissed off to care. Spike had tried to unmask her, knowing that it would ruin her already tarnished reputation and she had openly made fun of her! This was the girl who she had once considered a friend, a confidante, a lover, and now she was trying to humiliate her, too? Just like Helsa and Alastor and everyone else?!

Hell. Fucking. No! She had had _enough!_

Her spear materialised into her hand as it always did, and with one hand on Spikes throat she raised the one holding her weapon above her head, ready to drive it into her bitch of an opponent. She was deaf to thet cheers of the crowd, the roar of the announcer, she snarled down at Spike, her fangs bared and single eye glowing red as she tightened her grip and-

"I FUCKING HATE YOU!" Spike screamed, her face covered with blood and broken cartilage.

That did it. With a scream Vaggie let loose and brought her spear down with a sickening thud.

A hush fell over the crowd. Spikes screams ceased. Above her, Vaggie breathed heavily, her body juddering as she panted, her hand was still tightly wrapped around the spear that was buried deeply into the ground, inches away from Spikes head.

"Why?!"

Spike stared up at her in shock. Vaggie growled and grabbed the front of Spikes shirt in her fist to pull her up to her face.

"Why do you fucking hate me so much, Spike? What the fuck did I do to you to make you hate me this much?!"

Spike screamed and struggled beneath her, but Vaggies weight kept her pinned "YOU LEFT ME!"

"I LEFT EVERYONE! RHODIE AND DONNA AND JADIS! I LEFT EVERYTHING BEHIND AND THEY ALL DONT GIVE A SHIT! SO WHY DO YOU!"

Spike roared "YOURE SO FUCKING _STUPID!"_

Red eyes glowed with malicious fury, and Vaggie barely had time to leap off of her before spikes the size of food cans shot out of every part of Spikes body.

Vaggie stepped back, spear in hand, and she held it out before her as Spike rose shakily to her feet, panting and crazed.

"You don't even know..." the other girl muttered. Her wrists lifted to her mouth "You're so fucking stupid...you don't even _know!"_ she sank her teeth into her own wrists, deep enough that black blood poured onto the ground, and Vaggies eyes widened as she realised what was about to happen.

"OH! _OH!_ IT LOOKS LIKE SPIKES GOING FOR HER RAREST, MOST SPECTAULAR, GORE SPERLUNKING MOVE EVER!"

The ground rumbled beneath her feet. Dislocated sand shook around her feet.

" _ITS THE PATH OF FUCKING FURYYYYYYYYY!!!"_

_Shit!_

Sand exploded upwards as, one by one, a viscous path of eight foot spikes the size of tree trunks erupted from the ground. Vaggie leapt out of the way as fast as she could, flipping one handed somersault after somersault and narrowly avoiding the spikes that wanted to tear her in half. Her injured arm protested bitterly, but she gritted her teeth through the pain.

_Thud!_

Her back hit the stadium wall. The ground rumbled beneath her feet. 

"YOU HAVE _NO. IDEA._ WHAT YOU LEFT BEHIND!"

Okay, okay, don't panic! Think! 

"YOU HAD EVERYTHING! FAME! FRIENDS! FORTUNE! AND YOU LEFT IT ALL FOR SOME DUMB BLONDE BITCH!"

_BOOM!_

Vaggie pressed herself as flat as she could against the wall as the spike swarmed up between her legs. Her stomach hissed as it was cut, but she ignored it as the spike rose and swelled in girth, she wrapped her good arm and both legs around it and let it carry her into the air, and when it finally stopped rising she pushed her feet against the hideous construction and leapt onto the wall. Her spear screeched as she plunged it into the dense brick, holding her up.

Below her, the point of the spike gleamed, dangerous but, fortunately, not cutting her in half. She exhaled.

She had to get to Spike. She had to stop this before it went too far. Spike was screaming again, seeing her assault hadn't worked, she was completely deranged. Vaggie thought quickly, back to her old memories of training with Rhodie.

_"If your opponent is emotional, they'll be easier to take down. They leave themselves open, vulnerable, and you can exploit it?"_

_"How do I do that?"_

_"I've found that goading is quite effective. Rile them up, make them loose focus, and then you go in for the kill"_

Rile them up...okay...

Still hanging from the wall, Vaggie yelled back "I LEFT BECAUSE I FELL IN LOVE! I LEFT BECAUSE I WANTED SOMETHING MORE THAN THIS!" Spike was visibly shaking as she threw more of her blood around the arena. Her tosses were erratic, uncoordinated, and she could easily make out several paths to their creator. Good, that was good. Yelling again, she raised her injured arm towards the weapons across her torso. Spike was too angry to notice.

"SHE OFFERED ME SOMETHING THIS PLACE COULD NEVER HAVE! SOMETHING _YOU_ NEVER DID!"

Spikes face dropped, an unreadable red wall of undiscernible emotion, and Vaggie siezed her chance.

Three knives appeared in her hand. And despite her injury they shot through the air and plunged into Spikes chest, and as she contorted and screamed Vaggie threw herself back from the wall in a perfect mid air somersault, twisting and arching her body so that it was on course with Spikes face.

But she had made a fatal mistake. She had underestimated her opponent. 

Spike recovered far too quickly, and with the knives still buried in her chest she howled with rage and hurt as she lifted her hands and dozens of jagged, ill crafted spikes created a sandstorm as they rose up from the ground. Vaggie barely had time to react, her quick instincts rusty from disuse. One spike blew up right in front of her and she almost slammed straight into it.

Instead she grabbed a hold of it, using the momentum of her body to swing herself around and latch onto the deadly projectile.

"SHE OFFERED SOMETHING I NEVER DID?! ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!"

More spikes erupted around her but they were so erratically cast they barely touched her. Instead Vaggie grabbed hold of the closest one and used it to swing her body into the next, and then the one after that, like a crazy game of one armed monkey bars.

"YOU ARE THE STUPIEST BITCH ON THE PLANET! IN HELL! IN THE UNIVERSE!"

She was so close now, just a couple more!

"DONT YOU GET IT HEARTBREAKER?! ARE YOU THAT FUCKING BLIND?!"

Her body was flying hard and fast now and Spike was so close. Her body flipped and curved over the last two spikes and she flew towards the last.

"I LOVED YOU, YOU STUPID BITCH! _I WAS FUCKING IN LOVE WITH YOU!"_

_What?!_

Shock made her grip falter. She flew off of the spike too soon. In panic her legs kicked out behind her, driving her off course, so instead of planting her feet straight into the knives in Spikes chest, she ended up barely grazing her side.

Vaggie fell to the sandy ground hard, rolling until she came to a stop on her front. Her mind was reeling, but it had nothing to do with the fall.

She heard Spike approach. The red demon stood above her, holding a thin, six foot long spike like a sword. Vaggie rolled onto her back and stared up at her "You loved me?!"

Spikes eyes narrowed and she raised the spike above her head and brought it down hard. Vaggie gasped and rolled out of the way, barely avoiding becoming a demon kebab.

"I-I didn't know!"

"Shut-up!" Spike screamed, and she raised her weapon again and once again Vaggie rolled, this time bringing a knee up beneath her and pushing herself to her feet, facing Spike.

"You never told me!"

Spike swung for her "I said shut- _up!"_

Vaggie ducked "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Aaargh! Stop fucking talking!"

Another swing, another dodge. Vaggie looked around for her spear, a weapon, anything, but her spear was still stuck in the wall and getting her other shock stick would take too long. Out of options she drew out her longest dagger from her belt, the blade which was barely longer than her hand.

_Fuck._

_Rile her up, make her give you an opening._

Rhodies voice spoke soothingly in her head. Vaggie gripped her knife tight in her good hand, the other arm still bleeding. Shock and guilt and blood loss threatened to overwhelm her but she forced it down deep, she couldn't let herself get distracted, she had to focus!

Spike swung for her a third time and Vaggie ducked her head, but Spike had been feinting, and moments before the spike whistled past her head it was brought down to the ground and Vaggies feet went out from under her, sending her flat on her ass. A foot kicked her in the chest, hard enough to knock the wind out of her as she fell onto her back.

 _GET UP!_ But before her hands touched the ground Spike was there, her foot holding her in place on the ground, spike raised and an insane look in her eyes.

Vaggie stared up at her. This was it, she didn't have a chance, Spike was going to win, and she was going to tear out her heart.

_Just like I did to her._

"Spike! Wait! _Wait!"_

Spike bared her teeth "What?!"

Swallowing, Vaggie raised her hands above her head in the sand "I'm sorry, okay?! I'm sorry! I swear to God I never meant to hurt you!"

Then she closed her eye braced herself.

"...You fucking bitch"

When the blinding pain of being stabbed in the heart never came Vaggie opened her eye. Spike still stood above her, but the insane rage on her face was gone, replaced by stony emotionlessness. As Vaggie laid there her shoulders slumped, and her spike tumbled from her limp fingers.

Vaggie had never been more confused in her life "S-Spike?"

"Fuck you, Hearts. Just...fuck you"

Then Spike turned around, kicked the spike across the arena, and walked away.

"WHAT?! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" the announcer screamed, and he wasn't the only one. As Spike walked away the arena shook from the volume of the audience's boos and curses, trash flying into the arena "IS SHE SERIOUSLY WALKING AWAY WITHOUT FINISHING THE JOB?! WHAT THE FUCK, SPIKE?! COME ON, FINISH THE BITCH!"

But Spike didn't, she just kept walking until her sillouhette faded into the shadows of the arena, back into the hallowed halls of the colloseum.

Vaggie propped herself up on her elbows and stared after her, a mayriad of guilt and shame and shock.

"W-WELL HEY, AUDIENCE! MAYBE ITS A TRICK! MAYBE THE OLD LEGEND HEARTBREAKER IS ABOUT TO GO AFTER HER AND KICK HER ASS! LOOK AT HER, SHES GETTING UP! SHES GETTING HER WEAPONS! SHES WALKING TO THE OTHER END OF THE ARENA _WHAT?! SERIOUSLY?! OH COME ON!_

"*sigh* I do _not_ get paid enough for this bullshit, guys!"

*

Afterwards, Vaggie and Spike went to the medical bay to lick their wounds. Since Rhodie believed that any decent fighter should be able to look after their damn selves there was no doctor, leaving the two demons alone as they used the large supplies of bandages and disinfectant. The medical bay was silent as they took care of themselves.

It was painful. And not just the wounds.

As Vaggie wrapped a bandage around her wounded arm she couldn't help but occasionally glance at Spike. The red demon kept her head resolutely down as she snapped her nose back into place, not even a wince to betray her pain. Spike was a hardass, everyone knew that, never letting anyone see how much pain she was in.

Vaggie tied off a bandage around her forearm and put the roll down "Spike, I-"

"Don't" Spike snapped, so sharply that anyone else wouldve shut their mouths forever.

But Vaggie wasn't anyone else. She went over to where Spike sat on a long bench, as far away from her as she could get. She stood in front of her and, when that garnered no response, knelt down in front of her knees, despite the protests of her various bruises and puncture wounds.

"Spike-"

"I said fucking don't, okay?!" Spike barked, pointing a curved needle at her eye "I don't want your fucking pity, it fucking disgusts me! So just clean yourself up and fuck off again, its what you do best!" her voice cracked on the last word and she furiously looked back down to where she was stitching a deep cut on her wrist.

A hard knot of guilt tightened in Vaggies stomach. Back then she hadn't thought Spike would really miss her, she thought she would just move on and find another girl to fuck. She had never, not for one moment, thought the raging, chaotic demon might actually have feelings for her, let alone love.

Well, she had been wrong about that, hadn't she? And she couldn't leave here without at least trying to make it right.

"I'm sorry, Spike. I swear, if I had any idea how you felt about me I wouldve-"

"What? You woulda what? Broken up with Princess Thirsty Twat and declared your undyin' love for me?" Spike scoffed bitterly.

"...No. But I at least wouldn't have ended things the way I did"

Spike scowled and crossed her arms "Yeah. The whole 'Hey Spike we can't sleep together anymore because I'm screwing the princess' thing did suck"

Well. That hadn't been exactly how she'd phrased it but it was close enough "Yeah...Spikey...honey, would you please look at me?"

Spike kept her eyes stubbornly on the ground. Vaggie placed her hands on the knees of the girls ripped jeans, and finally Spike looked up, even if only to glare at her. But at least she was looking.

"I'm sorry, Spike. I dont expect you to forgive me, what I did was really, really shitty. I should've considered your feelings before I ran off with Charlie, I know that now"

For a while Spike just glared at her, and for a moment Vaggie thought she saw her skin darken with spikes. Then the red demon sighed, shoved Vaggies hands off of her, and walked over to a whitewash wall, her back to her former team mate and her arms crossed over her chest.

"Its not even about you fucking dumping me, Vaggie" she said, her voice rough "I could've lived with that, it wasn't like we were official, right? But what makes me so mad-!" her voice cracked, and Spike wrapped her arms tighter around herself. After a long while, she exhaled slowly:

"What made me so, fucking, mad, was that you walked out of here with that dumb blonde and you never looked back. You didn't visit, you didn't call, you didn't even friend us on fucking VoxBook. You abandoned us. You abandoned _me!"_ she finally looked back at Vaggie. Tears glistened in her eyes "I know we didn't know each other for long, but I thought that our friendship might've meant something to ya! It did to me!"

A tear threatened and Spike turned away, wiping at her face. Vaggie didn't wipe hers away, just staring at Spikes back. She wanted to tell her that she was sorry again. She wanted to tell her that she'd done it because she thought a clean break from the Dome would be best. She wanted to tell her that she'd made a huge mistake, one she wished she could take back, now more than ever.

But she didn't. Couldn't. So instead she walked up to Spike and wrapped her arms around the trembling demon. She tensed immediately, but Vaggie was undettered, and she pressed her forehead into the dip of Spiked shoulders. The scent of blood and cloves was strong here, and Vaggie felt more tears roll down her cheek.

"I missed you, baby" she whispered, and Spikes breathing hitched "I missed you so much, Spikey..."

Spike shook in her arms. Vaggie felt the pinpricks of her quills against her skin. The red demon gave a loud gasp-

And then she was turning in Vaggies arms and crushing her to her chest in a strangling embrace, her face in her neck and tears soaking her shoulder as she sobbed her heart out.

"Y-you b-b-bitch!" she wailed, clinging to Vaggie like she might fly away at any moment.

"I know!" Vaggie sobbed, burying her face into Spikes hair.

"Y-you fuckin'...l-l-leavin'...abandonin' bitch!"

"I know!"

"I...I...I h-hate you!"

"I hate me too!"

Spike wailed incomprehensibly and both demons were pulled to the floor as their legs gave out. The curled up against the wall together, hugging and crying out years of pent up resentment and sorrow and pain together.

Eventually their tears dwindled off into soft sniffles, but they didn't let go if each other. Spike stroked her hands up and down Vaggies back and Vaggie kept her face pressed into Spikes hair, her eye closed as she inhaled the almost forgotten, long missed, scent of cloves.

Spike loosed a shuddering sigh over Vaggies shoulder, and warm red arms wrapped tighter around her as Spike lay her head against her shoulder.

"I missed you too, sweetie..."


End file.
